When I get home from work today, I expect to have my first automatic yogurt maker waiting on my doorstep. I’m unusually excited about this acquisition, which may speak volumes about my life. But, hey, it’s the truth. I’m into healthy foods. I enjoy talking about them, blogging about them and of course eating them!

For the past year or so, I’ve been dipping my toes into the whole foods movement. I’m one of those people who reads the ingredient list on packages before I put them into my grocery cart. More than five ingredients? It’s not going in. Ingredient names that I can’t pronounce? I’m not buying it. And I do love yogurt, so the idea of making my own really appeals to me. I can control what goes into it and I get the benefit of those wonderful probiotics!

Will this be one of those appliances that’s worth its weight or will it be relegated to the cabinet after the first month? Time will tell and I’ll share the results and any recipes that I concoct along the way.

You already know that yogurt has tremendous health benefits. It can help you feel fuller, which assists in maintaining a healthy weight. The proper doses of calcium and vitamin D — found in high quantities in yogurt — can also help prevent osteoporosis, which is a concern for me since my last bone density test wasn’t stellar. But some of the lesser known benefits include discouraging vaginal infections and helping reduce the risk of high blood pressure. What’s not to like about that?

Still, I really don’t want all of the sugar and preservatives that go into many of the popular yogurt brands that you find in the supermarket. So here goes my little foray into homemade yogurt. Join me for the trip!

It can be expensive to go organic. But I’m hoping that making my own yogurt will actually be less expensive in the long run. I’ll definitely keep you up-to-date on the process. My first experiment starts this weekend. 🙂